#OneVidaAtATime Challenge Uniting Writers To Help Fight Family Separation

The Trump administration’s “zero tolerance” immigration policy has many Americans divided but it has prompted a campaign that has writers rooms showing solidarity with immigrant families. It all started when the writers behind the shows “Vida,” a Starz drama, and the Netflix sitcom “One Day at a Time,” both Latino centered shows, joined forces to raise funds to help separated immigrants at the U.S border. Gloria Calderón Kellett, the executive producer of “One Day at a Time,”announced the shared initiative with the hashtag #OneVidaAtATime. “Vida”show runner Tanya Saracho posted the same message on her Instagram page and since then have started a campaign that has united writers nationwide in support of separated immigrant families.

Here is both the writing teams of “One Day At A Time” and “Vida” campaigning to help separated immigrant families.

“We are a show that talks about immigration. How can we be silent about it?” Calderón Kellett told The LA Times. “Look, I cannot claim to be heroic here. We’re just writing checks — I’m clicking and entering credit card information. But I really want to lift up the people who are there and doing the work.”

Starz joined in on #OneVidaAtATime Challenge donating to the RAICES Texas.

The campaign prompted, Starz, to join the shows efforts, tweeting that it had donated $10,000 to RAICES Texas to support the cause. “The #OneVidaAtaTime initiative has united our STARZ family and our community,” Starz wrote in the tweet. “We stand with our writers & creators and their efforts to #Keepfamiliestogether.”

The “Jane the Virgin”writers room is one of countless shows that have joined in on the united efforts.

“Jane the Virgin,” the CW’s story of a Latinx family, has highlighted issues that go along with living as an undocumented immigrant in the United States. The star of the show, Gina Rodriguez weighed in on the crisis happening at the U.S border and showed solidarity as her writers joined in on the campaign fund.

The RAICES Family Reunification and Bond Fund has already raised over 6 million dollars and is close to surpassing its goal of 6.5 million dollars to pay for the full amount of immigration bonds. The fundraiser page says “Bonds are set at a MINIMUM of $1500, and are usually in the range of $5-10K, even for asylum seekers without any criminal history.” Here’s to more writers rooms joining in on the #OneVidaAtATime Challenge!